Published: July 22, 2008 10:53 pm      

Convicted molester deemed sexual predator

EBENSBURG — A former Somerset man was sentenced Tuesday to one to seven years in the county prison for the longtime sexual abuse of a girl.

Judge Gerard Long also determined that Matthew R. Goehres is a sexually violent predator who will have to register his address for the rest of his life with the state police.

When Goehres gets out of prison, his neighbors, schools, day-care centers and others where he lives will be notified of his address, the judge noted.

Goehres, 27, of Clarksburg, Indiana County, had pleaded guilty to indecent assault and corrupting the morals of a minor in a plea bargain in which more serious charges were dropped.

The plea bargain was worked out with the agreement of the victim’s family, Long said.

Otherwise, Goehres would have been facing decades in prison, the judge said. But Long did sentence Goehres in the aggravating range of possible sentences: Other possible sentences could have meant less time or no time in jail.

Goehres is to report to the county jail no later than 9 a.m. Aug. 2 to begin his sentence.

Long ordered that Children & Youth Services become involved in the case to monitor the victim’s care.

She is a teenager and will live with the psychological effects of the abuse for the rest of her life, Assistant District Attorney Tamara Bernstein said. The abuse started when she was 5 and continued until she was 14, the prosecutor said.

“It only stopped when the victim became strong enough to tell someone she trusted,” Bernstein said.

The case was investigated by Richland Township police.

Goehres apologized for his conduct, telling Long it had started with childhood curiosity when he was a teenager and then developed into a pattern of behavior.

Defense attorney Robert Davis Gleason, who did not challenge the predator designation, said Goehres had attended 102 counseling sessions as of June and is continuing that therapy.

Gleason asked for a sentence that would allow Goehres to continue his work as a salesman, but Long did not address that issue Tuesday.